Electrical control means



Aug.'3l, 1937.

I! v a 3 KZMMM MWLZW Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE Kingston Products Corporation, a corporation of Indiana Application February 26, 1935, Serial No. 8,317 4 Claims. Cl. 200-11) My invention relates to electrical control means, and more particularly to electric switches and the like, and the principal object of my invention is to provide a new and improved elec- 5 trical control means of this type. In the drawing accompanying this specification, and forming a part of this application, I have shown, for purposes of illustration, one form which my in ventlon may assume. In the drawing:

10 Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of one form of my invention, as it may be. embodied in an electrical switch, certain parts being shown in elevation,

Figure 2 is a rear view of the switch shown in 15 Figure 1, the base thereof being substantially entirely broken away in order to show the parts within the switch casing, and

Figure 3 is a perspective detail view of an operating member and a contact carrying mem- 2 her, disassembled.

Referring to Figure l of the drawing, a panel II has mounted thereon and spaced therefrom a switch casing ll, of cup-shape, having a bottom l2 and a tubular portion |3 extending there- 25 from. Fastened to the bottom I2 is a threaded nipple l4, the threaded end l6 of which extends through an aperture in the panel Ill. The nipple l4 may be fastened to the bottom l2 of the switch casing by providing it with a reduced end dis- 30 posed through an aperture in the bottom andspinning the end |5 of the reduced portion over the inside of the bottom i2. Two'nuts l1, l8 are provided, both of which are in engagement with the threaded nipple l4, the nut l1 being 35 disposed at one side of the panel "land the nut II at the other side to thereby fasten the nipple l4 to the pmel. A shaft I9 is disposed through the nipple l4 and is provided at one end with an operating handle 20. At the other end the 40 shaft I9 is provided with a laterally extending operating member 2|. The operating member 2| is dish-shaped, having a disc-shaped bottom 25 merging outwardly into afrusto-conical portion 23. The frusto-conical portion 23 is pro- 45 vided with a radially outwardly extending desirably circular flange 24. The shaft l9 has the end 22 thereof, which is joined to the operating member 2|, reduced, the reduced end 22 being dis posed through an aperture in the disc-shaped 50 bottom portion 25, and beingupset to fasten the shaft to the flange 25.

The radially outwardly extending flange 24 of the operating member 2| is here shown as provided with a projection 26 extending radially 55 outwardly beyond the generally circular outline of the flange 24. The projection 26 is adapted to serve as a part of the means whereby the operating member 2| may be drivingly connected to an insulating contact, carrier 21.

The contact carrier 21 is shown as in the shape 5 of a disc having a recess 28 of circular outline, the recess 28 having a bottom 29 in a plane at right angles to the axis of the contact carrier 21, and having a diameter such that the flange 24 of the operating member 2| will be readily received in the recess. The face of the flange 24 is adapted to be in engagement with the bottom 29 of the recess 28. The circular recess 28 forms an axially extending annular flange 30 on the contact carrier 21, and is here shown as provided with a radially extending slot 3| of sufiicient width to freely receive the projection 26 on the operating member 2|. The slot 3| extends axially to the plane of the bottom 29 of the recess 28.

The contact carrier 21 may be provided with any desired form of contact 32, here shown as comprising a diametrically extending portion 33, with which is merged a portion 34 extending from the diametrical portion 33 at less than right angles with the lower end of the diamet- I rier 21 is desirably also provided'with a plurality of recesses, similar to the recess 35 in the contact member 32, two of which, 36, 31, are visible 35 in Figure 1, the others being spaced at equal radii, about the center of the face of the carrier 21, as may be seen in Figure 2. The recesses in the contact member 32 and in the insulating carrier 21 are adapted to be engaged by a plurality 40 of contact means, three of which, 38, 39, 46, are shown in Figure l, the others being omitted for the sake of clearness. Other contact means 68, 69, 10, 1|, including also the contact fneans 38, 39, 40, are indica ed by dotted lines in Figure 2, from which the position of the contact means is apparent.

The contact means 38, 39, 48, 88, 69, 18, 1| are all identical, and are reciprocably mounted in a base 4|. Accordingly, only one of the contact means, 38, will be described in detail. The contact means 38 comprises a body 42, desirably of oblong cross-section, as indicated in- Figure 2, the corners being chamfered. The chamfers do not extend the entire length of the body 42,

but terminate near one end of the body, leaving projecting shoulders serving to retain an end closure 43 for the body 42. The end closure 43 has a dome-shaped portion serving as an electrical contact and may have an axially extending flange 12 spun over the projections on the body 42, as has been fully described in my co-pending application Serial Number 8,316, filed February 26, 1935. The body 42 has a bore containing a to spring 44 bearing at one end against the inside of the closure 43 and at the other end against a ball 45 adapted to extend into a transverse aperture 46 in the body 42. A conductor terminal 41 is here shown as connected to the snap l5 terminal formed by the ball 45 in conjunction with the aperture 46, the conductor terminal 41 being provided with a furrow 48 and a frustroconical end. The terminal 41 is swedged to the conductor as indicated by the swedge indentations 49. An aperture in a boss 52 on the base 4| through which the contact means 38 slidably passes is countersunk by a recess 58, in which is disposed a spring 5| hearing at one end against the spun over flange 12 on the contact 43, and at the other end against the bottom of the recess 58.

The base 4| has a reduced diameter at its inner face forming a reduced portion 53 adapted to be received within the tubular portion I3 of the casing. A shoulder 54, formed by the reduced portion 53, is adapted to abut the end of the tubular portion I3. The outer periphery of the base 4| is provided with a plurality of notches or recesses, desirably three, one of which,

55, is visible in the fragment of the base shown in Figure 2. The tubular portion I3 of the easing is provided with a plurality of axially extending projections 56, 51, 58 of a length substantially the same as the distance between the shoulder 54 on the base 4| and the outer face 59 of the base. The projections 56, 51, 58, three in number if there are three notches 55, are provided with fingers of generally triangular shape, narrower at their bases than the projections 56, 51, 58, two of which fingers, 6|, 62, along with the projections 51, 58, are shown bent radially outwardly in Figure 2 to clearly show their form. The third finger 68 and the projection 56, which carries the finger 68, are shown in the position they occupy when the base 4| is fastened to the casing II, the finger 68 being clinched over the outer face 59 of the base 4|. The projections 56,. 51, 58 are unequally spaced, and the notches 55 in the outer periphery of the base 4| are spaced to correspond to the unequal spacing of the projections 56, 51, 58. It will therefore be evident that for a predetermined position of contact means, such as 38, 39, 48 and so on, on the base 4|, these contact means will assume a predetermined position with respect to the casing II when the base is assembled with the casing.

The casing II is provided with a pair of stops 63, 64, here shown as formed by striking inwardly a portion of the metal forming the tubular part I3 of the casing. The stops 63, 64 are adapted to be engaged by the respective radial edges of the projection 26 on the operating member 2|.

The contact 32 may, if desired, be assembled with and mounted on the insulating carrier 21 by providing radial outer ends of the contact 32 with tongues 65, 66, 61, which may be clinched over the outer periphery of the insulating car- 75 rier 21 into radial slots formed in the axially extending flange 38, as may be seen clearly in Figure 3.

It will be obvious that may be assembled in drivable relation with the operating member 2| by simply placing the contact carrying member 21 with the recess 28 in registry with the flange 24, and with the projection 26 in registry with the radial slot 3|. The contact carrying member 21 is maintained in such assembled position and drivable relation with the operating member 2| simply by the fact that the contact means, such as 38, 39, 48, are biased toward and into engagement with the face of the contact carrier 21. The thrust produced by the contact means pressing the contact carrying member, and consequently the operating member, toward the right, as viewed in Figure I, is taken by the spun over end I5 of the nipple I4, acting as thrust bearing.

It will be apparent that the position of the contact 32 about its axis, with respect to the operating member 2| and the projection 26 will be definitely predetermined by the location of the slot 3| in the contact carrying member 21, and that furthermore the position about its axis of the contact 32, with respect to the switch casing II, when the projection 26 is in engagement with either the stop 63 or 64, or is in any intermediate position, is also definitely predetermined. Furthermore, inasmuch as the position of the relatively stationary contact means 38, 39, 48 and so on, abut the axis of the casing I I, and with respect to the stops 63, 64, is definitely predetermined by the projections 56, 51, 58, in cooperation with the slots 55, therefore the relation between the contact 32 48, and so on, for a given position of the contact 32 about the axis of the casing, is also definitely predetermined.

Thus proper assembly of the parts is automatically assured and easily accomplished, so that the desired switching operations may be carried out when the handle 20 is placed in a predetermined position. It will of course be obvious that similar principles may be applied irrespective of the particular form of the contact 32 and the number and arrangement of the contact means carried by the base 4|.

In' view of the foregoing it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that my invention may be embodied in other constructions wherein the elements may assume a variety of forms, variously changed and modified within the spirit of the invention.

In general it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the features of my invention need not all be used in one embodiment, and may be individually or collectively variously changed and modified, without departing from the spirit of the invention, or sacrificing all of the advantages thereof, and accordingly that the disclosure herein is illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim:

1. In combination: contact means including relatively movable elements; one of said elements comprising a rotatably mounted operating member; a contact carrying member; means, including a projection on said operating member, for

putting said operating member in driving relation with said contact carrying member; and a stop engageable by said projection. p

2. In combination: contact means including relatively movable elements; one of said elements comprising a rotatably mounted operating memthe contact carrier 21 and the relatively stationary contact means 38, 39,

ber; an electrical contact carrying member having a. recess in a face thereof; means, including portions of said operating member and said contact carrying member, constructed and arranged 5 so that said contact carrying member may be mounted on and in drivable relation with said operating member by placing said contact member in predetermined position against said operating member with said operating member in 10 abutment with the bottom of said recess and in adjacent relation with the walls of said recess so that motion of said contact carrying member in its own plane is limited; and 'the other of said relatively movable elements including means for 15 maintaining said contact carrying member in said predetermined position.

3. In combination: a base; relatively stationary electrical contacts mounted on said base at predetermined places; a casing; means whereby 20 said base may be assembled with said casing in only one predetermined-position; an operating member rotatably mounted in operative relation to said base; means including portions on said casing and portions on said operating member for limiting rotation of said operating member between definite limiting positions with respect to the position of said relatively stationary contacts; and means whereby electrical contact means may 5 be mounted on said operating member in only one predetermined position about the axis of said operating member, for cooperation with said relatively stationary contacts.

4. In combination: a base; relatively station- 10 ary electrical contacts mounted on said base at predetermined places; a casing; means whereby said base may be assembled with said casing in only one predetermined position; a contact carrying member; an operating member rotatably 15 mounted in operative relation to said base, and including projection means for putting said operating member in driving relation with said contact carrying member; and abutment means on said casing, engageable by said projection means 20 to limit rotation of said operating member.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

